Coin of the Day

Crypto payment, without
the volatility

(CRYPTO: X8X) With banks offering historically low-interest rates and inflation, wealth degradation has become a massive issue. In order to combat this problem, X8 currency has set off on a mission: to deliver the most sophisticated, safe and stable instrument for payments. With the use of an AI, the X8C secure store of value token is tied to the top 8 global currencies as well as a physical gold reserve, creating a highly diversified and low-risk portfolio. The AI program optimizes the ratio of holdings in each currency and gold, which allows X8 currency holders a stable annual interest rate of 1-3%, protecting them from inflation. What can it be used for? Paying employees in crypto or merchants that price their products in digital currency; X8 protects all participants from the volatility of payment in cryptocurrency.

Happy 2018! While you were ringing in the new year, some pretty epic things happened in crypto.

We know, we know. Bitcoin took a bit of a plunge over the weekend. Major bummer. But on the plus side, those rumors that Bitcoin is headed for sub-$5,000 territory? Not particularly valid, according to Dennis Gartman, the founder of the Gartman Letter, who said to CNBC that the prospect was, "one of the silliest things in a long time." Speaking of CNBC, some people think that the news network has pivoted to an aggressive anti-Bitcoin/pro-Bitcoin Cash stance. As to why Bitcoin dipped, it's likely from a lack of buyers in the market, and crypto hodlers waiting until the new year to cash out their precious crypto for tax reasons. On the plus side, the first real Bitcoin lightning network payment was completed on Bitrefill, something that the crypto community has been waiting for over three years. Remember, Bitcoin's lightning network helps make BTC's transactions faster and cheaper – high transaction fees have been wearing the market down (to put it lightly).

It finally happened – South Korean crypto exchanges officially changed their companies' policies to comply with the new regulations imposed by the government. The biggest changes? No accounts for those under 19 years of age and non-Korean citizens can no longer make virtual accounts. As you probably know, crypto is a big deal in South Korea, with the term "bitcoin zombies" has been gaining popularity. The phrase refers to the tired state these young traders are always in after a late night of staying up and trading. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of England is considering issuing a "Bitcoin-style digital currency" later this year. You probably didn't know that the bank has been researching this project since 2015 (yeah, we know – pretty surprising), so keep an eye out for some kind of 'Britcoin.'

The biggest break of the new year? Ripple surpassed both Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum and now stands as the second largest cryptocurrency in market cap. Whoa.

If you owned Ripple (XRP) and checked on your portfolio late this past weekend, you probably got a happy surprise. Ripple is now the altcoin with the largest market cap, with a single XRP goes for around $2.50 as of this morning. Pretty impressive, especially considering it was the best performing cryptocurrency of the year. In 2017, XRP's price increased by 36,018%. Hot damn. Runners-up include NEM, Ardor, and Stellar. Is the run sustainable? Who knows. As you can see, Ripple had some impressive growth during the tail-end of 2017. Meanwhile, Bitcoin's market share has shrunk to an all-time low of 38%. Gulp.

The overall feeling around Ripple's performance? Mixed. Ripple's market cap is over half Bitcoin's, propelling market sentiment for XRP to an all-time high. The Ripple team has been consistent in making new deals with established companies, and Japanese banks in early December. In fact, Ripple has over 100 banks (mostly outside the US) signed up for its platform. The Ripple CEO made a fair point as to why the altcoin has been a favorite, pointing out that the coin has, "real customers, really in production using this," and "not science experiments. Science experiments are not a business model." As for the XRP-haters, the group mainly consists of crypto purists who think Ripple may actually be run by banks and is created as a way to disrupt the crypto market. Meanwhile, there are also rumors swarming that Ripple may be added to Coinbase later this year. Let's keep watching!

Is $XRP beta on Coinbase? This video was going around, I edited it to understand better. Can someone tell me if this is real or not? I'm hearing rumors Ripple will be on coinbase this month. Let's discuss. pic.twitter.com/5Mlxh4nXVl

Coin to Watch

Ripple (XRP) - duh! Will Ethereum catch back up? Will another coin sneak up the ranking in market cap? Will Roger Ver convince enough people to buy Bitcoin Cash to dethrone Ripple? Check back tomorrow to find out!

Spend your crypto on...

a private prison? Yep. For a mere 88 Bitcoins, you can head on over to LoopNet and purchase this beautiful facility in Brush, Colorado.